


Coming Home

by heartheldhostage



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 13:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1985211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartheldhostage/pseuds/heartheldhostage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Duke returns to Haven. Nathan and Duke learn about the past, fight the present, and face the future with Audrey and Dwight by their sides.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Lina for for all her hard work in helping me get this story from my head to you.

Duke Crocker was sailing back to Haven for the first time in nearly two decades. He was anxious, frightened, and pissed. He was anxious because his Trouble had activated. He was frightened because only God knew what he would find when he docked. Most of all he was pissed at his dad for how and why he was making him come home.

He loved the old man. No one else had given a damn about Duke when Simon Crocker had died. The Rev was the one who had taken Duke in and called him son. Duke owed his life to the Rev, and he wasn't stupid enough not to know it. He didn't want to disappoint the old man, but he wasn't sure he could do what he knew the Rev was going to ask of him. The Rev had never hidden the Crocker Curse from Duke. He had never hidden his expectation and desire – no, his demand - that Duke would follow through when the Troubles returned.

Duke had tried to refuse the Rev's order to return. He hated Haven with a passion. The world had so much more to offer...women, booze, safety. But what the Rev wants, the Rev gets. Hannah had been the first one to explain that to him. He hadn't really taken his sister seriously until the night the Rev had one of his followers beat Duke severely for mouthing back about some stupid little thing - curfew, if he remembered correctly. Duke knew then that Hannah was right - the Rev indeed got what he wanted, and would never have to dirty his own hands in the process.

Duke sighed and rolled his eyes when he spotted the man on the dock. He should have known the first person that he would see in Haven would be Nathan Wournos. He and Duke had been friends once, but - what the Rev wants...

“Well, well, well, how ya doing, Nate?” Duke grinned.

“Why are you back, Crocker? You know how this town feels about your family,” Nathan growled.

“Nate,” Duke drawled, “you know the Crocker family has its charms. Besides I haven't really been a Crocker since dad took me in.” Duke was purposely taunting Nathan now. “You know that, too.”

“You didn't answer my question. Why are you back?”

Duke jumped from the deck of the Rouge to the dock. “I'm back because Dad wants me back. I'm back because the Troubles are back. Is that a problem, Nate? Can you be a good boy and stay out of the way?”

Nathan punched Duke. Duke staggered from the blow and rubbed his jaw.

“Now is that any way for a law enforcement officer to act? Get a grip, Nate. You don't want me to hit back and draw blood,” Duke said as he got in Nathan's face.

“You'd better behave, Duke. I won't bother putting you in jail. I'll end you and be done with it.”

Duke slugged Nathan giving the cop a bloody nose. Some of Nathan's blood splattered on Duke's hand, and Duke's eyes turned silver as he moved closer to Nathan. Nathan backed away quickly, his hand on his gun.

“I could kill you before you unsnap the holster, and you know it,” Duke warned. “Stay out of the way, Nate. I don't want to hurt you.”

“Then why did you come back if not to kill the Troubled?” Nathan demanded.

“Unlike my dad, I realize that the Troubled didn't ask for this crap. I have no interest in hurting people like you - people whose Troubles only hurt themselves. It's the ones who hurt and kill other people that I'm interested in. So,” Duke slapped Nathan lightly on the cheek, “like I said, Nate, be a good boy and stay out of the way.”

Duke watched Nathan walk back up the dock. The Rev would be pissed that he didn't just kill the cop then and there, especially since Nathan had swung first. Duke couldn't, wouldn't, do it - not Nathan.

He walked down the dock himself looking for his ride. Hannah was parked at the end of the dock. Waiting for him beside the car, she was wearing a big smile on her face. “Welcome home, big brother. It's been too long.”

Duke returned her hug, “It has been too long. At the same time, it hasn't been long enough.” He kissed her on the cheek before they got in the car and headed for the church.

 

“Well, well, well, the Prodigal Son has returned,” the Rev said when Hannah and Duke entered the church. He walked to Duke and threw his arm across his shoulder.

“Hi, Dad,” Duke replied.

“I should go prepare for my Sunday school class,” Hannah said as she slipped away to let them talk.

“How was your trip, son?” the Rev asked as if Duke had merely traveled to the next town to shop at the mall, instead of being gone for eighteen years.

“It was interesting.” Duke knew he might as well say something. The Rev would be even more pissed when he heard about it from someone else, and Duke had no doubt that someone would tell him. This was Haven, after all. “Ran into Nathan Wournos when I docked. It was like he was hanging around waiting for me.”

The Rev's eyes sparkled. Duke could swear the man had grown even crazier with the passing of time. “Did you take care of business, son?”

“We had a chat. I told him to stay out of the way. He hit me. I hit him back. He left.”

“Duke, I'm disappointed in you, boy. That was the perfect opportunity to kill his curse. He coddles the Troubled and, in so doing, endangers this entire town.”

“His Trouble only hurts himself. Helping people is his job. I can't kill him for that. It's the Troubled who are dangerous that I'm here for. I don't even want to kill _them_ , but I know I have to,” Duke looked pointedly at the Rev.

“Come to the office with me, son. We need to have a long talk.”

“No, Dad, we don't. You want me back to kill Troubles. I'm back. You want me to kill a person from every Troubled family whether or not their Troubles have activated. I can't do that. If someone is putting other lives at risk, I'm willing to stop them. That's what my Curse is for. That's why I'm back.

“Look, I owe you my life, and I know it, but I don't owe you other people's lives. I'm here. I'm going to do what I can to help this town. As much as I hate it, I'm going to do it because it's what you want, what you're demanding of me. Don't ask for more because that's all I have to give,” Duke said.

The Rev nodded his head toward a corner. Two men Duke hadn't seen walked out of the shadows and grabbed him. They beat Duke unconscious as the Rev walked away smirking.

 

Duke woke slowly. He could hardly move. He was still lying on the church floor. It appeared the Rev wouldn't let Hannah help him. He did see that she had left him a bottle of water and a granola bar.

He had no idea how long he'd been out. It was dark outside so it had been a couple of hours. He eased himself into the pew behind him and opened the water. _How the hell does the Rev expect me to kill Troubled people if he gets his men to beat me so badly that I can't even move?_ he wondered to himself as he sipped the water.

He got to his feet and made his way outside. Nathan Wournos and some woman cop were pulling up. Duke guessed someone, maybe Hannah, had called the police and reported someone in the church when it was supposed to be empty.

He eased down the steps, grateful for the railing he had helped install before he'd left Haven. He had no idea how he would manage the walkway without it. Turned out he didn't have to. Without a word, Wournos slid his arm under Duke's left arm, and the woman slid her arm under Duke's right arm. He didn't want to lean on them, but he knew he really had no choice in the matter.

When they finally got him into the car, Nathan asked, “Hospital?”

“Rouge,” Duke barely managed to answer.

Nathan shook his head but drove to the docks as Duke requested. He and the woman helped Duke get down to his cabin and get undressed. The woman gently cleaned the cuts on Duke's body and applied bandages while Nathan helped him swallow some aspirin.

With Duke tucked into bed, Nathan and his partner started to leave. Duke called out, “Nate.”

Nathan turned around and looked at him.

“Thanks,” Duke said before he passed out again.

 

“Never seen him that bad,” Nathan said to Audrey as they got into the car. “The Rev's never been an easy man, but still, no one's ever seen Duke beaten like that.”

“Why would he do that to his son?” his partner asked.

“Because of me, Audrey. Duke had a chance to kill me today and didn't take it. The Rev had his men beat the hell out of Duke because Duke didn't kill me.”

“It's a good thing Hannah called you. Otherwise, Duke might have died alone in that church,” Audrey said.

Nathan shook his head. “No, the Rev has too many Troubled people he wants dead. He won't kill Duke. At least not until Duke has killed them.”

“Is the Crocker Curse really the only way to end the Troubles?” she asked.

“You've helped people learn to control their Troubles since you arrived a year ago. You've learned that some can't be controlled and are dangerous. The Crocker Curse is the only way we've ever found to deal with those Troubles.”

“Then why doesn't the whole town embrace Duke?”

“You haven't seen the end result. When a Crocker absorbs Troubled blood, he gets a boost of superhuman strength and a rush almost like drug. That rush is addictive, highly addictive from what I've been told. The Crocker's have a tendency to stop killing to end the Troubles and start killing just for the rush of the blood. Duke's real father even went so far as to keep Troubled people bound and gagged in his basement just to cut them for the rush of their blood. Crocker men become more dangerous to Haven than the Troubles.”

“None of them has ever been able to control it?”

“There's no record that anyone has. I believe Duke could. Well, maybe he could if the Rev would back off and let him do what's right. The Rev is too focused on ending all the Troubles. He's been trying for years to train Duke to hate and fear the Troubled as much as he does.”

“That's why Duke left?” Audrey inquired. It was more of a statement than a question.

“Yeah. I was hoping he'd never come back so he wouldn't have to face this. Should have known the Rev would find a way to drag him back into the middle of it.”

“So our best option is to help Duke stay away from the Rev.”

“I don't think that's even possible. Duke is too grateful to the Rev for keeping him out of foster care as a kid. He feels indebted. He thinks he owes the Rev his life. He doesn't know that's not true. He doesn't know that only reason he ended up with the Rev is because the Rev got to the hospital before my dad did.”

“Why doesn't Duke know that?”

“I didn't know until right before my dad died a few years ago. Even if I had known back then, the Rev didn't want Hannah or Duke anywhere near me. I wouldn't have had many chances to tell him, and I doubt he would have believed me anyway.”

“Nathan, what do you say we involve Duke in a few of our Troubled cases. If he can learn how to help Troubled people control their afflictions, maybe it will reinforce his reluctance to kill.”

“I think that might very well be the only chance he's got.”

 

Duke woke to the sound of running water. He opened his eyes to see that the sun was shining brightly outside. He tried to get up - the best he could manage was sitting on the side of his bed. He saw the tray with a cup of coffee, still warm, and a plate of food. There was also a bottle of aspirin. He found himself wondering who gave a damn enough to do this for him. This was beyond even Hannah – rather, it was beyond her fear of the Rev.

Duke dry swallowed two of the pills then sipped the coffee and nibbled on the toast. The sound of running water stopped. He raised his head to see the female cop from last night enter his room...re-enter he guessed. He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Well, at least you remember seeing me last night. Bet you don't remember my name though,” she smiled.

“Can't say I do,” Duke admitted. Normally he would pour on the charm. Not today. It was difficult enough just to speak.

“I'm Audrey Parker. I'm Nathan's partner. Thought I'd drop by and see how you're feeling.”

“You mean see if I want to press charges against anyone,” he corrected. “The answer is no. I didn't see who jumped me.”

“Okay. I don't believe that at all, but I'm not going to push you about it. I wasn't even going to mention it. I just thought you could use a hand. I ran you some bath water. Come on, I'll help you get to the tub.” She helped him stand and slowly walk to the bathroom.

“I'm going to leave the door cracked. Call if you need me.”

Duke had no idea what to make of her help. All his addled brain could focus on at the moment was the pain shooting through his body. He made a mental note to think about it later and started removing his underwear. He eased into the tub and leaned back, letting the hot water soak the pain away. After a while he washed and rinsed himself as best he could and tried to get out of the tub. He cursed when he lost his balance and fell back.

Audrey was at the door immediately.

Duke laid his head back and closed his eyes. Audrey got the soap and rag and eased him forward. She began washing his back. He tried to relax and enjoy this special treatment that he certainly wasn't used to.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “Why are you even here, much less doing this?”

“Because everyone needs a friend now and then. Let me be yours right now.”

She rinsed his back and reached for a towel. He held her arm for balance as he stepped out of the tub. Sitting on the edge of the tub, he allowed her to dry his back and then his legs. Her hands were gentle as if she knew the pain he was in. He had bruises all over his body. He could even see a boot print on his stomach.

“You really took a beating. I wish you'd let me take you to the hospital.”

He just shook his head. He'd never been to the hospital because of a Rev-sanctioned beating before, and he wasn't about to start now. He'd be better soon. Then he'd do what he returned to do and get the hell away from Haven. This time he would never come back.

The bath had helped. He didn't need to lean on Audrey as much when they walked back to his room. She had changed his sheets and removed the food tray. A pair of clean underwear was lying on the bed. He put them on and carefully slid near the head of the bed to lean back on the pile of pillows she had fixed for him. She left his room, returning shortly with the tray. A cold bottle of water, a frozen bottle of water, two sandwiches in baggies, the bottle of aspirin, a couple of magazines, and his phone were on it this time.

“I hope this tides you over until I get off work. If you need anything, call me. I programmed my number in your cell.”

She started away, but he took her hand. He pulled her down beside him and rested his head on her shoulder. He put his arms around her. She gently held him, rubbing his back softly, careful of the bruises, until he pulled away.

“I still don't know why you're doing all this,” he looked at her with suspicion clear in his eyes, “unless Nathan put you up to it.”

“Nathan knows I'm here, but it was my idea and my choice to help you. I guess I'm paying it forward. I hope that if I couldn't care for myself that someone would be there for me.”

“And why would you think there's no one to help me?”

“Haven is a small town, Duke,” she smiled.

“Yeah, with apparently bigger than normal mouths.” He smiled at her this time and brushed a stand of hair back from her face. “Whatever the reason you're doing this, thank you, Baby Doll.”

She smiled and left for work.

Duke took two more aspirin and laid his head back. Ten minutes later he was sound asleep.

 

“How is he?” Nathan asked as Audrey came in and sat at her desk.

“He's hurt badly. He couldn't even take a bath on his own. I wish someone would beat the Rev that badly so he knows how it feels.” She murmured that last part, but as usual, Nathan heard her anyway.

“No one in this town has the guts to stand up to the Rev. I'm not even sure a mob boss would face the Rev down for long.”

“Are you going with me after work to check on Duke? It sounds like you two were close once,” she said, hoping to change the subject before she went to confront the Rev herself.

“He was my best friend. I was the freak who couldn't feel anything. Duke did his share of teasing me, but not like the others. He was always there to stand up for me when I thought I couldn't take any more crap, even though the Rev didn't like him hanging around me. As much as I'd like to be there for him now, I think it's best for Duke if I don't. The Rev would have him beaten even worse. Be careful, Audrey. You're not the Rev's favorite person in this town either.”

“I know, but if we have any chance in hell of helping the Troubled right now, it's by helping Duke.”

Nathan nodded. _If anyone can do that, it's you_ , he thought.

Stan stuck his head in the office door, “You've got a case. A city worker eating breakfast at Haven Joe's just saw a school bus full of kids vanish right in front of the bakery.”

“Any other witnesses?” Nathan asked getting up from his desk.

“No one else has called in yet,” Stan answered.

“Let's go.” Audrey was already at the door.

 

“The bus was there, and then it wasn't. There was no light show, no sudden darkness, no sound...just the bus, there then gone,” Dwight said.

“What the hell could have caused that?” Audrey wondered aloud.

“No idea. I've seen some pretty freaky stuff during my time 'cleaning' in Haven, but I have never seen anything like this,” Dwight said.

Nathan returned from taking a phone call and updated them. “No one around here saw anything, and the school superintendent says all buses and students are accounted for.”

“Sounds like some kind of projection Trouble. The kind of Trouble that could get people killed,” Duke said from behind Nathan.

“Duke, are you okay? I don't think you're in any shape...” Audrey began.

“I'm fine, Baby Doll. Luckily everyone else seems to be as well. What would have happened if a driver had seen what Dwight saw and smashed his car into the bakery?” Duke asked.

“We don't even know for sure that this is a Trouble yet,” Nathan said.

With one hand bracing his ribs, Duke turned toward Nathan, “Really, Nate? Care to explain what else it could have been? Unless our Viking friend here has been hitting the sauce this morning, I say it's a pretty good bet we have a Trouble on our hands.”

“Let's talk about this somewhere a bit more private,” Dwight said, indicating the crowd that had begun to gather.

“Whatever you say, Sasquatch,” Duke grinned his most mischievous grin.

Dwight merely stared at Duke before following him and the cops through the bakery and into the small office.

“How is it that you were the only one to see the vanishing bus, Sasquatch?” Duke asked when they had some privacy.

“How is it you're the only one here who wasn't called to the scene?” Dwight asked Duke as he stepped into the man's personal space.

Audrey stepped between them even though both men towered over her petite frame. “Enough with the testosterone fest, boys,” she said without smiling. “This isn't going to help us figure things out.”

“I think it will,” Duke said. He slid a knife from the holster on his belt. “I think it will tell us that Sasquatch is Troubled and saw his own handiwork.”

“Duke,” Nathan said as he put his hand on Duke's shoulder.

“I think maybe you need to learn a lesson, Crocker,” Dwight growled as he began to remove his jacket.

“Dwight, don't,” Audrey said. She was still between Dwight and Duke, and was beginning to question her intelligence in putting herself in that position.

Dwight dropped his coat to the floor and then opened his shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest. “This is my Trouble, Crocker,” Dwight said, patting the vest. “Shoot a gun anywhere near me, in any direction, and _I'm_ going to take the bullet.”

Duke cocked his head at Dwight as he weighed the pros and cons of such a Trouble. The Rev had taught him well, drilled into him, how to anticipate the potential dangers of the Troubles. “How many people have gotten hit because of you?” he finally asked.

“One. My eight-year-old daughter. If she were still alive, I would have been the one meeting you at the dock when you returned. I'd have had the knife ready for you to use.”

“Dwight's Trouble has saved as many lives as yours has, Duke...especially during his military service,” Nathan said softly.

Duke considered what Nathan said and nodded. He stepped back from Dwight and Audrey and returned his knife to the holster. “So what about this bus?” he asked.

“Haven's buses have been accounted for, but what about statewide? There could have been a field trip,” Dwight suggested as he buttoned his shirt over his vest.

Nathan pulled his from phone from his pocket, “I'll get Stan on it,” he said as he stepped out of the room.

“Could it have been a private bus, Dwight?” Audrey asked. “Could it have been tourists passing through?”

Dwight shrugged. “This is Haven. Anything's possible.”

“Look, I know you didn't do it, Sasquatch, but it still begs the question: why were you the only one to see it?” Duke asked again.

“Like I said, this is Haven. We won't know the answer to that until we find the Troubled person.”

Nathan stuck his head in the office door and said, “We've got another one. Let's go.” He turned to look at Duke and said, “You should get back to the Rouge. We'll call you as soon as we know anything.”

“Not a chance, Nate. This is why I came back to this godforsaken place,” Duke protested.

“Duke, we can handle this,” Audrey said.

“It's not what you think, Duke. You really need to rest after last night. I meant it when I said we'd call you as soon as we know anything,” Nate assured him.

“They're right, Crocker,” Dwight said. “After all, what good will you be to anyone if you can't even hold a weapon?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not dead yet. Let's go,” Duke said.

 

“There's no way it could have been there. There's just no way!” the woman cried.

“When was the last time a boat docked at your pier?” Audrey asked.

“Four years ago,” the woman sniffled. “No boat has docked there since my husband took ours out and drowned in a sudden squall. It was our boat I saw there not two hours ago, but there's just no way it _could_ have been.”

“Mrs. Prather, did anyone else see the boat?” Dwight asked.

“No, no one. I live alone and no one was here but me.”

Nathan asked, “Have you been anywhere today? Did you go into town to do some shopping?”

“I didn't do any shopping, but I had breakfast with a friend.”

“At Haven Joe's?” Duke asked.

“No, we ate at Rosemary's,” Mrs. Prather answered.

Nathan nodded at Dwight. “Mrs. Prather, why don't I walk you back inside? You really don't want to keep upsetting yourself by staring at the pier,” Dwight said quietly.

Duke mused after Mrs. Prather was out of earshot, “Similar scenario, but different locations.”

“We could check to see if Joe's and Rosemary's had deliveries from the same supplier around the times Dwight and Mrs. Prather were there,” Audrey suggested.

“It wouldn't hurt to ask about other customers, too, although there is a difference in the timing of the sightings compared to their visits to the bakeries,” Nathan said as his phone rang.

As soon as Nathan turned his back to answer his phone, Duke grabbed his ribs and squeezed his eyes shut. Audrey put her arm around his waist and helped him lean back against Nathan's truck. Duke pulled the aspirin bottle from his pocket and took four.

“Damn it, Duke, you're going to kill yourself before we even figure out who the Troubled person is,” Audrey scolded him.

“Nope. Gotta find this asshole today,” Duke muttered.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It means I have to kill this asshole today or I may not be able to get out of bed for a month,” Duke scowled at her.

“The Rev threatened you, didn't he? We can protect you, you know,” Audrey said.

“I feel sorry for you if you really believe that,” Duke said. “Do you really not know how many of your fellow cops follow my dad?”

“Then Nathan, Dwight, and I will protect you,” she said fiercely.

Duke sighed,” Baby Doll, how are you going to do that when you have a case to solve? Let's just get this over with.” Duke stood on his own, but not without considerable effort.

“Duke, you really look like crap,” Nathan said when he joined them at his truck.

“Thank you, Detective, and you look like Paris Hilton after a sex change,” Duke countered.

Nathan rolled his eyes and turned to Audrey, “There's been another strange sighting.”

“I'll get Dwight,” she said and walked toward the house.

When she was out of sight Nathan turned back to Duke, “I'm worried about you, Duke. You really don't look good.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” was Duke's smart ass reply. He took as deep a breath as he could and said in a softer tone, “Nathan, we tried to be friends, but my dad wouldn't let it happen. Let's not make things worse by trying again. I appreciate that you care. I do, but I can't risk his wrath complicating what I'm here to do.”

“You don't owe him anything, Duke. He only got custody of you because he got to the hospital before my dad did. Ten minutes – that was the difference between you and I being strangers rather than the brothers we were meant to be,” Nathan said as he walked around the truck and got in.

Duke stared at the ocean, too stunned to move. Someone else had wanted him? Garland Wournos had planned to take him in? Nathan would have been his brother? He unwillingly let himself imagine how different his life could have been had that happened.

“Are you okay, Duke?” Audrey asked, breaking the spell.

“Yeah. Yeah, Baby Doll, I'm fine,” Duke replied as he eased his way into the truck. “Is Sasquatch coming?”

“He'll be along soon. He's convincing Mrs. Prather that she dozed off in her rocker and dreamed that the boat was docked at her pier,” Audrey explained.

“Bet that Viking could convince a nun to do a lap dance in a strip club,” Duke chuckled.

“Actually I think that was on his resume when dad hired him,” Nathan grinned.

All three laughed. It was an easy, uninhibited laugh. Duke was struck with how easy it would be to be friends with Nathan and Audrey, maybe even with Sasquatch. It couldn't happen though. He couldn't let it happen. The last time he'd tried to be friends with Nathan had resulted in the most horrible broken bones Duke had ever seen. Nathan still thought it was a just sledding accident. Duke knew better. Duke would be damned before he would endanger Nate like that again.

 

“Hey, Nate, just out of curiosity, why were you waiting for me when I docked?” Duke asked as they were leaving the third scene.

“I had to know if you'd changed, Duke. I had to know if you were here to help or if you'd swallowed the Rev's hatred for the Troubled and were here to kill all of us,” Nathan answered with more honesty than Duke had expected.

“And your conclusion was...” Duke prompted.

“You're still my friend, Duke. You could have killed me. Hell, I gave you reason to kill me in self defense. You didn't. You're still my friend,” Nathan repeated.

“And if I had killed you?” he asked.

“You wouldn't have made it off the dock. There was a sniper rifle aimed directly at your head the entire time.”

That was definitely more honesty than Duke had expected. “Sasquatch,” he stated.

Nathan nodded.

“What about the bullets?” he asked.

“Dart gun with enough tranquilizer to kill you within three minutes,” Nathan explained.

“Gotta give you that one, Nate. Smart. Very smart,” Duke grinned.

Nathan tried to hide his own grin as they climbed into the truck.

“Did you ever figure out how the Rev convinced me not to be friends with you?” Duke asked quietly.

“No, but given the timing, I'd guess it had something to do with my sledding accident,” Nathan replied.

“That was no accident, Nate. One of the Rev's deacons pushed you from behind. I didn't know about that until I got home and the Rev showed me video. He made me watch it over and over and promised me that worse would happen to you if I had anything else to do with you. I couldn't risk your life that way.”

Nathan's jaw tightened. He wanted more than ever to beat the hell out of the Rev. It wasn't because of the sledding incident. Nathan's Trouble had been active then, and the pain had meant nothing to him. He had never felt a thing. He wanted to beat the Rev because of Duke - because he had taken Duke's friendship from him and put Duke through hell to do it.

“That's when I knew I would never go around killing people just because they're Troubled,” Duke said. “Dangerous, uncontrollable Troubles - yes. Troubles like yours or ones that can be controlled - hell no. I'm not the Rev, and I am not my father. But the Rev is pulling all the strings right now. He holds all the cards, and he wants this Troubled person dead regardless. It's that or I get the hell beat out of me, and two people I care a great deal about get coffins.”

Audrey had been listening quietly and taking it all in. She finally spoke to ask, “What cards, Duke? What does the Rev have over you?”

Duke sighed and looked out the window. He turned back to face them with tears in his eyes and said, “The Rev has my son.”

 

They were aboard the Rouge. Audrey and Nathan, being on duty, drank sodas. Dwight had chosen water. Duke had poured himself a stiff drink, but he was looking for something on his phone. “Dad,” he stopped and shook his head at that and started over. “The old man called me a half dozen times over the last year demanding I come home, and he wasn't at all coy about why. I ignored him. I had absolutely no intention of ever returning to Haven. In fact, he's the reason I kept on the move all the time. I didn't want his men to find me.

“I met Lina about nine years ago. I fell for her the first time I looked into her eyes. She could have been the one. Hell, she _was_ the one, but I couldn't stay. I knew I would be putting her at risk. I left after my son was born. She knew I had a deep wonder lust and didn't try to get me to stay. I always stayed in touch; I always visited when I thought it was safe. She never kept me from our child. She married a good man who takes good care of them both. I thought they were safe.

“I got this almost a week ago.” He passed the phone to Nathan, who passed it on to the others. It was a photo of the Rev standing behind a young boy tied to a chair. The boy looked just like Duke. “I didn't even know he knew about my son. Seeing that photo – knowing what the Rev would do to him if I didn't come back - that's what activated my Trouble.”

“How old is he, Duke? What's his name?” Audrey asked softly.

“He's seven. His name is Michael...Michael Nathan Crocker.” Duke pretended not to notice the way Nathan's head shot up. “The Rev's men grabbed him from school last week. Lina called and told me about an hour before I got the picture. She was nearly hysterical. I'd never told her about the Rev or what lengths he will go to in order to get what he wants. That's why I agreed to come back. I'm here to pacify the Rev and get my son home to his mother where he belongs.”

“Damn, Duke, we'll get him back. I promise you that we will get him back. I will make sure you do not lose your child like...” Dwight trailed off. He couldn't finish the sentence because thoughts of Lizzie froze his throat.

“How, Sasquatch? I have no idea where the Rev has him. There are too many places to search and too many people willing to help him,” Duke said.

He took his phone back from Dwight and selected another photo. “After you left this morning, Audrey, I got this. No words, just the photo.” He handed her the phone. Audrey gasped. It was another photo of Michael, now nearly as bruised and beaten as Duke was. She handed the phone to Nathan while trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

“Not five minutes later, I got a text telling me where to find you guys. That's the Rev's way of telling me to get off my ass and do what I'm told,” Duke said.

“That son of a bitch,” Nathan growled. “What can we do, Duke? How can we help?”

“There's only one thing _to_ do. I have to find this Troubled person, and then I have to kill him.” Duke stood and paced the small area. “If I don't, Michael will die, and he's not the only one. Look at the next picture.” The next picture was of Nathan standing outside Haven Joe's while he was talking on the phone. It was obviously taken earlier that morning. Audrey and Dwight stood talking in the background.

“Cut off the head, and the snake dies,” Audrey said softly. She pulled her badge from her belt and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Nathan. “We have to take the Rev out.”

Nathan removed his badge and placed it on the table beside Audrey's. “No time like the present,” he said, standing.

Dwight picked up the badges and handed them back to Audrey and Nathan. “That won't work. The men the Rev has doing this shit are the kind of men who leave no witnesses. If we kill the Rev, they will kill Michael and come after you, Nathan. We have to find the boy first. You can do that better and faster as cops.”

“Can we please just solve this case so I can kill this Troubled person and get my son out of danger?” Duke asked. “I can't take much more of this.” Duke rubbed his hands over his face, heedless of the cuts and bruises, and sat down at the counter.

“That's what the Rev is hoping for, Duke,” Audrey said. “He wants you to lose control and kill every Troubled person you know about. You have to keep it together. Even if you do kill this Troubled person, who says that the Rev will release Michael? Is it really beyond the Rev to keep him to use against you when the next Troubled case comes up? You have to stay strong.”

Duke stood up, looked at her, and said, “You haven't even heard the worst of it. The Rev has threatened to activate Michael's Curse. He threatened to teach my seven-year old son to murder for the thrill of Troubled blood. He said he'll happily bring the Troubled to Michael for him to kill them if I won't step up and do as he taught me.” Duke lowered his head; his shoulders slumped.

Nathan walked over and hugged Duke. He whispered in Duke's ear, “I will _not_ let that happen, Duke. Do you hear me? I will _not_ let that happen. I will kill that bastard myself. I was too young to be able to help you, but I will _not_ let him hurt my nephew.”

Duke cried at that.

Nathan walked him to the bedroom to help him pull himself together.

“So what do we know about this case?” Audrey asked. She was mainly trying not to hear the muffled sound of Duke's sobs. “Is there anything at all that these people have in common?”

“Audrey, I didn't think anything of it at the time, but the school bus I saw - it was the one Lizzie used to ride. I guess I didn't recognize it because I try not to remember details like that. They hurt too damn much. Seeing Duke right now just brings it all back,” Dwight said as he glanced toward the bedroom and swallowed over the lump in his throat. “That bus was put out of service three years ago and stripped for usable parts. It could not have been there. That's why no one else saw it,” Dwight said.

“A bus that's been salvaged for parts, a boat that vanished in a storm, and a child who died of SIDS - they're all painful memories of the past. Our Troubled person has to be someone who knows you, Mrs. Prather, and the Maddison's fairly well,” she reasoned.

“Lots of people knew about Lizzie. Even more knew about Mr. Prather and the Maddison baby,” Dwight said.

“Yeah, but how many knew what bus Lizzie rode?” Audrey asked.

“Hannah,” Duke said from the doorway. “She knows all of the people affected today, and she helped run the dispatch for the school system until last year.” The others looked at him. “What? Just because I ignore the Rev as much as possible doesn't mean I don't stay in touch with Hannah.”

“I guess we need to go see Hannah,” Nathan said.

 

Hannah was vacuuming the floor and didn't hear the four of them enter the church. She jumped in surprise when Duke unplugged the vacuum. “Oh my! I had no idea you were here,” she said. She was clearly worried at seeing Duke with the police. “Dad's not here right now, but Duke and I can tell him you stopped by,” she addressed Audrey rather than Nathan or Dwight.

“Hannah,” Duke began, “we think we know whose Trouble is causing people and things from the past to appear here and now.”

“Duke,” Hannah said innocently, her eyes wide in attempted non-verbal communication, “shouldn't you be having a talk with that person?”

“I am, Hannah. The only person all of these incidents have in common is you,” Duke said.

“Why, that's...that's just silly, Duke. You know _I'm_ not Troubled,” Hannah verbally jabbed at Duke. He didn't take the bait.

“Hannah, have you seen or talked to Dwight, Mrs. Prather, or the Maddison's in the past few days?” Audrey asked. “Maybe you've seen their names on a list or something? Maybe they donated to the food pantry?”

“Nothing like that. They're all on my prayer list though. I've prayed for all of them recently,” Hannah said.

That's when it hit Duke. “Hannah, you went home, went straight to your room, and started praying after you found me last night, right? You were so upset that the Rev had his guys beat me this badly that your Trouble activated. It's your prayers, Hannah. Your prayers for those people brought back, if only for a couple of minutes, what they'd lost. Your prayers made them relive the pain of losing their loved ones – just like you're afraid of losing me.”

Hannah was losing patience. “Stop acting stupid, Duke. You're just saying this because you're upset that Dad talked you into coming home.”

“Talked me into coming home? Is that what he told you? Hannah the bastard kidnapped my son to force me back here. My seven-year old son is tied to a chair somewhere in this damn town and has been beaten on the Rev's orders already. Yes, I'm upset with the Rev, but that doesn't change the fact that you're Troubled.”

“No!” Hannah turned away from Duke and bowed her head.

“Hannah, look,” Nathan said quietly. Garland Wournos lie in his coffin beside Nathan. He was wearing the suit he'd been buried in after he passed away due to a heart attack. “Do you see him? Do you see now what you're doing?”

The others didn't see anything, but Hannah stared directly at Garland. “No, it can't be,” she whispered.

“You were praying for me just now, weren't you, Hannah?” Nathan asked softly. “You were praying for me because you know I'm next on the Rev's list.”

“I can't be Troubled. No one in our family has ever been Troubled,” she whimpered.

“You can be if you're not my biological daughter,” the Rev said from the doorway. “Looks like I was right about your mother being a filthy whore.”

“Dad!” Hannah cried.

Everyone looked at the Rev. He was holding Michael, bound and gagged, tightly against him. Duke drew his knife and started toward them. Nathan held Duke back. “Let him go!” Duke demanded of the Rev.

“I certainly will once you do your duty, son,” the Rev purred. “Do your duty and kill that Troubled girl right now, and I'll let your bastard son go.”

Audrey stepped between Duke and the Rev, “You can't seriously want your son to kill your daughter!”

“He's only my son if he does with his Trouble what I ask him to do. She's not my daughter or she wouldn't be Troubled at all. He either kills that filthy girl or I kill this boy,” the Rev bellowed.

“How can you stand there and demand that I kill my sister? How can you make me choose between my sister and my son?” Duke demanded.

“How many times do we have to go over this, son? The Troubled are dangerous. All of them are dangerous,” he said looking at Nathan. “They must be eradicated. You are the only one who can do that right now. That is unless I activate this boy,” the Rev said.

“Leave him alone,” Nathan demanded.

“Just as soon as Duke does what's needed,” the Rev said smugly.

“I can't kill Hannah. You raised us as siblings and now you expect me to kill her? Exactly how far around the bend have you gone, old man?” Duke asked.

“Oh, you're going to kill her, and you'd best do it now.” The Rev pulled a knife from his pocket and was about to put it to Michael's throat when a dart hit his arm. The Rev's eyes had already begun to glaze over by the time he hit the ground.

“Michael!” Duke yelled and ran to his son.

Duke was already holding Michael by the time Dwight spoke up, “Never threaten a child in front of me.”

“Michael, are you okay?” Duke asked as he and Nathan untied and checked the frightened child.

“I am now, Dad,” Michael said as he threw his arms around Duke's neck.

Duke was unashamed of the tears he was shedding this time. His son was alive and safe in his arms. He noticed the tears welling up in Nathan's eyes and reached out to draw him into the hug with Michael.

“Duke,” Hannah said softly coming up to them. “I'm so sorry. I'm the reason the Rev found out about Michael. I forgot my phone when I went to the food pantry last week. He went through it and found Michael's photo. He interrogated me when I got home and threatened to beat the details out of me. I had no idea he would do this. I swear, Duke, I had no idea. I'm so very sorry.”

Duke stood up. He brushed the tears from Hannah's eyes and pulled her into a hug. “None of us knew how far he would go, Hannah. It's not your fault.”

 

Audrey spent the next couple of hours helping Hannah come to terms with having a Trouble. The two of them decided that antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications would be her best option. Meditation and reading would also help her to keep from focusing on sad memories and situations. Audrey pulled some strings to help Hannah get a doctor's appointment for the next morning so she could get the prescriptions she would need.

Dwight immediately got to work cleaning the situation. Not a difficult task for the Haven expert - he was done in an hour. Thanks to Dwight's arrangements, as far as anyone in Haven ever knew, Hannah found the Rev that evening in his study where he'd passed away from a heart attack while working on his next sermon.

Duke and Nathan took Michael to see Gloria. She was the town ME, but she could be trusted to keep secret anything related to the Troubles. She checked Michael over from head to toe. She then declared that he was a “perfectly fine and healthy young man who is much too handsome to be Duke's son” as she gave him a cupcake from Rosemary's.

Gloria also insisted on checking Duke. Satisfied that he would live, she said, “Now get out of here, would you? I've got better things to do.” She picked up her phone and went back to playing Angry Birds as they left.

After leaving Gloria, Duke, Michael, and Nathan met Audrey and Dwight at Benji's for ice cream. Duke received a couple of good-natured punches to his shoulders when he encouraged Michael to call Audrey “Aunt Baby Doll” and Dwight “Uncle Sasquatch.” Nathan, however, was perfectly fine being called Uncle Nate.

At one point, Duke happened to see Dwight's eyes as Dwight was looking at Michael. Duke would never forget the unshed tears he saw there, and he would never see any again.

Duke had called Michael's mom. Lina was ecstatic. She talked with Michael for twenty minutes, asking him repeatedly if he was okay. She was on her way to get him, but for the next two nights, Michael would get to stay up late and watch movies with his Dad and Uncle Nate.

 

Duke became more and more involved in the Troubles. He never killed anyone unless it was absolutely necessary, and he never made that decision alone. It was always made by Audrey, Nathan, Dwight, and Duke together. Duke was always the last one to be convinced that it needed to be done.

On the few occasions he had to kill a Troubled person, Duke only kept his sanity because of his friends. They were there each time for him to lean on. The four of them became more than friends. They became the real family that Duke had never had.

Haven had never known a Crocker that could deal with the Crocker Curse. Duke was met more than once with suspicion and hostility. It took time, but the town of Haven eventually embraced him. Duke Crocker was finally home.


End file.
